Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a call center server, call information associated with a call from a calling party directed to a called party, the call information including a calling party number; in response to receiving the call information, transmitting from the call center server to the calling party a pre-canned message; only if the calling party number is a home number of the calling party associated with a landline telephone connected to a circuit switched network, performing the following operations: searching, by the call center server, a database with a called party number as a search key; retrieving from the database customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party and presence information, the presence information identifying a third party from a plurality of third parties that is available to handle the call and comprising information relating time of day to availability of the third party, and identification information of a client associated with the third party; automatically transmitting the customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party from the call center server to the third party in response to receiving the call information, the customer relationship management information including product preferences of the calling party, inventory and sales information associated with the called party, catalog information associated with the called party, specific scripts about the called party's business that instruct the third party on what phrases to use to assume a persona of the called party, a responding third party preference of the calling party, and product and price preference associated with the calling party; receiving a response from the third party in response to transmitting the customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party, the response being in accordance with the responding third party preference of the calling party; and connecting the call from the calling party to the client associated with the third party, wherein the third party assumes the persona of the called party by representing to the calling party that the third party is the called party.
A call center system personalizes call handling by identifying the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and using the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
2. A method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the response from the third party is generated by the third party selecting an item from a list of options in a graphical user interface.
Building upon the personalized call handling system described previously, the agent indicates their acceptance and readiness to handle the call by selecting an item from a list of options presented in a graphical user interface. This GUI selection acts as the response from the agent which triggers the call connection between the caller and the agent (who is now impersonating the called party).
3. A method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise: making initial contact with the third party to notify the third party of the call.
In addition to the personalized call handling system where an agent impersonates the called party, the system also makes initial contact with the agent to notify them about the incoming call *before* sending the full CRM data. This allows the agent to prepare or decline the call if they are unavailable. The call center system identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
4. A method as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the initial contact is further to verify that the third party is available to receive the call.
The personalized call handling system with initial agent contact (as described above) further uses the initial contact to explicitly verify that the agent is currently available and willing to receive the incoming call. If the agent confirms availability, the system proceeds with transmitting the CRM data. Otherwise, an alternate agent is found. The call center system identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
5. A method as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise: determining via the initial contact with the third party that the third party is unavailable to receive the call; and identifying an alternate third party to replace the third party.
Expanding on the agent verification process, if the initial contact with the agent reveals they are *not* available to take the call, the system actively identifies and selects an alternate agent to handle the call. This ensures that calls are routed to available resources, maintaining service levels. The call center system identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information. The system also makes initial contact with the agent to notify them about the incoming call *before* sending the full CRM data. This allows the agent to prepare or decline the call if they are unavailable, and the initial contact is further used to explicitly verify that the agent is currently available and willing to receive the incoming call.
6. A method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the customer relationship management information further includes business logic identifying a premium call center for use in calls from the calling party, the premium call center comprising a shorter queue and a plurality of third parties specifically trained to assist the calling party.
The customer relationship management information, in addition to providing persona scripts and caller/called party details, can include business logic that directs calls from certain callers to a "premium" call center. This premium call center offers advantages like shorter wait times and specially trained agents. This is triggered if the calling number is from a landline home number. The call center system identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
7. A method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the customer relationship management information further includes a name of a party associated with the called party and street address information associated with the called party.
Beyond persona scripts and preferences, the customer relationship management data includes the name and street address of the called party. This provides agents with additional context for personalizing the interaction and further enhancing the impression that they are indeed the called party. This is triggered if the calling number is from a landline home number. The call center system identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
8. A non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, perform operations comprising: receiving, at a call center server, call information associated with a call from a calling party directed to a called party, the call information including a calling party number; in response to receiving the call information, transmitting from the call center server to the calling party a pre-canned message; only if the calling party number is a home number of the calling party associated with a landline telephone connected to a circuit switched network, performing the following operations: searching, by the call center server, a database with a called party number as a search key; retrieving from the database customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party and presence information, the presence information identifying a third party from a plurality of third parties that is available to handle the call and comprising information relating time of day to availability of the third party, and identification information of a client associated with the third party; automatically transmitting the customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party from the call center server to the third party in response to receiving the call information, the customer relationship management information including product preferences of the calling party, inventory and sales information associated with the called party, catalog information associated with the called party, specific scripts about the called party's business that instruct the third party on what phrases to use to assume a persona of the called party, a responding third party preference of the calling party, and product and price preference associated with the calling party; receiving a response from the third party in response to transmitting the customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party, the response being in accordance with the responding third party preference of the calling party; and connecting the call from the calling party to the client associated with the third party, wherein the third party assumes the persona of the called party by representing to the calling party that the third party is the called party.
A call center system, implemented as software instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, personalizes call handling by identifying the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and using the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
9. A non-transitory computer-usable medium as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the response from the third party is generated by the third party selecting an item from a list of options in a graphical user interface.
The software-implemented call handling system described above is configured such that the agent indicates their acceptance and readiness to handle the call by selecting an item from a list of options presented in a graphical user interface. This GUI selection acts as the response from the agent which triggers the call connection between the caller and the agent (who is now impersonating the called party). The software personalizes call handling by identifying the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and using the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
10. A non-transitory computer-usable medium as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise: making initial contact with the third party to notify the third party of the call.
The software-implemented call handling system (as described previously) also makes initial contact with the agent to notify them about the incoming call *before* sending the full CRM data. This allows the agent to prepare or decline the call if they are unavailable. The software personalizes call handling by identifying the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and using the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
11. A non-transitory computer-usable medium as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the initial contact is further to verify that the third party is available to receive the call.
The software-implemented call handling system with initial agent contact (as described above) further uses the initial contact to explicitly verify that the agent is currently available and willing to receive the incoming call. If the agent confirms availability, the system proceeds with transmitting the CRM data. Otherwise, an alternate agent is found. The software personalizes call handling by identifying the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and using the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information. The software also makes initial contact with the agent to notify them about the incoming call *before* sending the full CRM data. This allows the agent to prepare or decline the call if they are unavailable.
12. A non-transitory computer-usable medium as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise: determining via the initial contact with the third party that the third party is unavailable to receive the call; and identifying an alternate third party to replace the third party.
Expanding on the agent verification process in the software, if the initial contact with the agent reveals they are *not* available to take the call, the system actively identifies and selects an alternate agent to handle the call. This ensures that calls are routed to available resources, maintaining service levels. The software personalizes call handling by identifying the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and using the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information. The system also makes initial contact with the agent to notify them about the incoming call *before* sending the full CRM data. This allows the agent to prepare or decline the call if they are unavailable, and the initial contact is further used to explicitly verify that the agent is currently available and willing to receive the incoming call.
13. A non-transitory computer-usable medium as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the customer relationship management information further includes business logic identifying a premium call center for use in calls from the calling party, the premium call center comprising a shorter queue and a plurality of third parties specifically trained to assist the calling party.
The customer relationship management information in the software, in addition to providing persona scripts and caller/called party details, can include business logic that directs calls from certain callers to a "premium" call center. This premium call center offers advantages like shorter wait times and specially trained agents. The software personalizes call handling by identifying the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and using the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
14. A non-transitory computer-usable medium as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the customer relationship management information further includes a name of a party associated with the called party and street address information associated with the called party.
Beyond persona scripts and preferences, the customer relationship management data in the software includes the name and street address of the called party. This provides agents with additional context for personalizing the interaction and further enhancing the impression that they are indeed the called party. The software personalizes call handling by identifying the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and using the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the system retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The system also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
15. A call center server comprising: a processor; a network connection; and a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, perform operations comprising: receiving, via the network connection, call information associated with a call from a calling party directed to a called party, the call information including a calling party number; in response to receiving the call information, transmitting from the call center server to the calling party a pre-canned message; only if the calling party number is a home number of the calling party associated with a landline telephone connected to a circuit switched network, performing the following operations: searching, by the call center server, a database with a called party number as a search key; retrieving from the database customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party and presence information, the presence information identifying a third party from a plurality of third parties that is available to handle the call and comprising information relating time of day to availability of the third party, and identification information of a client associated with the third party; automatically transmitting the customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party from the call center server to the third party in response to receiving the call information, the customer relationship management information including product preferences of the calling party, inventory and sales information associated with the called party, catalog information associated with the called party, specific scripts about the called party's business that instruct the third party on what phrases to use to assume a persona of the called party, a responding third party preference of the calling party, and product and price preference associated with the calling party; receiving a response from the third party in response to transmitting the customer relationship management information associated with the called party and the calling party, the response being in accordance with the responding third party preference of the calling party; and connecting the call from the calling party to the client associated with the third party, wherein the third party assumes the persona of the called party by representing to the calling party that the third party is the called party.
A call center server implements personalized call handling using a processor, network connection, and non-transitory memory. The server identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the server retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The server also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
16. A call center server as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the response from the third party is generated by the third party selecting an item from a list of options in a graphical user interface.
In the call center server described previously, the agent indicates their acceptance and readiness to handle the call by selecting an item from a list of options presented in a graphical user interface. This GUI selection acts as the response from the agent which triggers the call connection between the caller and the agent (who is now impersonating the called party). The server identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the server retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The server also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
17. A call center server as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise: making initial contact with the third party to notify the third party of the call.
The call center server implementation also makes initial contact with the agent to notify them about the incoming call *before* sending the full CRM data. This allows the agent to prepare or decline the call if they are unavailable. The server identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the server retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The server also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
18. A call center server as set forth in claim 17 , wherein the initial contact is further to verify that the third party is available to receive the call.
The call center server implementation with initial agent contact (as described above) further uses the initial contact to explicitly verify that the agent is currently available and willing to receive the incoming call. If the agent confirms availability, the server proceeds with transmitting the CRM data. Otherwise, an alternate agent is found. The server identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the server retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The server also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information. The server also makes initial contact with the agent to notify them about the incoming call *before* sending the full CRM data. This allows the agent to prepare or decline the call if they are unavailable.
19. A call center server as set forth in claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise: determining via the initial contact with the third party that the third party is unavailable to receive the call; and identifying an alternate third party to replace the third party.
Expanding on the agent verification process in the call center server, if the initial contact with the agent reveals they are *not* available to take the call, the server actively identifies and selects an alternate agent to handle the call. This ensures that calls are routed to available resources, maintaining service levels. The server identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the server retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The server also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information. The server also makes initial contact with the agent to notify them about the incoming call *before* sending the full CRM data. This allows the agent to prepare or decline the call if they are unavailable, and the initial contact is further used to explicitly verify that the agent is currently available and willing to receive the incoming call.
20. A call center server as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the customer relationship management information further includes business logic identifying a premium call center for use in calls from the calling party, the premium call center comprising a shorter queue and a plurality of third parties specifically trained to assist the calling party.
The customer relationship management information in the call center server, in addition to providing persona scripts and caller/called party details, can include business logic that directs calls from certain callers to a "premium" call center. This premium call center offers advantages like shorter wait times and specially trained agents. The server identifies the caller's phone number (specifically if it's a landline home number) and uses the called party's phone number to query a database. If the calling number is from a landline, the server retrieves CRM data about both the caller and the called party, including product preferences, inventory, sales information, catalog details, and even scripts designed to help the agent mimic the called party's persona. The server also retrieves agent availability information. This CRM data is automatically sent to an available agent, and upon receiving a confirmation from the agent (based on calling party preference), the call is connected. The agent then uses the provided CRM data, including persona scripts, to convincingly impersonate the called party. A pre-canned message is sent to the calling party upon receipt of the call information.
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December 16, 2014
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